Amos and Andy Reflection

The cartoon version of Amos and Andy is an explicit representation of African Americans and the minstrel tradition. I think that the use of cartoon animation allowed the creators to even further exaggerate their intentions and poke fun at African Americans in the United States. The characters in this film do not look like true African Americans, rather they look like white cartoon characters with a blackface twist. The characters in this cartoon clip are also explicitly unintelligent. Throughout the entire clip, Andy finds himself in bad situation after bad situation.  The cartoon version allows Andy to make these mistakes and get up uninjured and do them again. It does not show him, an "African American" character learning from his mistakes, and he ultimately enters the wrestling ring at the end of the cartoon. The intended audience of this cartoon reaches a broad white audience, who enjoys belittling the character and intelligence of African Americans. The white audience is obvious because as non-African Americans, they would find such a representation comical.  African Americans, however, would probably not find humor in this cartoon strip.  In looking at the historical context in 1935, the Jim Crow Laws were still in existence, and the civil rights movement for African Americans had not taken place. At that time in history, this type of film would have been seen as acceptable in the eyes of most white Americans. 

Overall, the cartoon is a clear representation of the degradation and humiliation faced by African Americans during the early 1900's.